Patrick Willis will carry on Lewis’ No. 52 legacy

By JANIE McCAULEY -
Associated Press -
Thursday, January 31, 2013

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Two of the league’s most imposing inside linebackers both happen to wear No. 52.

This story is about the other one.

Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers already has done plenty to prove his is the dominant 52 on the left coast and beyond, having been an All-Pro in five of his six NFL seasons. After enduring years of losing, he finally gets to flaunt his talent on the NFL’s biggest stage at Sunday’s Super Bowl, where he’ll meet up with … you guessed it. …

“I think he is one of the up-and-coming young stars who plays the game the right way,” Lewis said. “He plays the game with a certain passion, and plays with a certain discipline. Honestly, I really enjoy watching the young man play.”

Willis, the 11th overall draft pick in 2007 out of Mississippi, is the centerpiece of a San Francisco defense that returned everyone from the 2011 team that came so close to making the Super Bowl. The Niners lost 20-17 in overtime of the NFC title game to the eventual champion New York Giants.

Willis and his teammates used that loss as motivation and ultimately got the franchise back to the NFL title game for the first time in 18 years.